Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a sports statistics blog published with a focus on stats that go beyond the numbers.

The National League and American League championship series begin this weekend as the Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals face off tonight in Game One of the NLCS while the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox begin the ALCS on Saturday.

Since 1985 Major League Baseball has had a playoff format where the ALCS and NLCS are each a seven-game series with the winner advancing to the World Series. Based on the last 27 ALCS and NLCS, the series going six games seems to be the most likely scenario. Of the 54 league championship series played since 1985, 18 went six games, 16 went the full seven games, 14 went five games, and there was a four-game sweep six times.